CHAPTER 51: MERELY ESCAPED

The silence that followed their collective gasp was deafening. My whole body stiffened, and the blood rushed to my face, so hot it felt like my skin was peeling.

Christopher, Celeste, Jasper, Silas, and Sierra were staring. Staring at me traddling their Alpha, pinned by a cold steel handcuff. And dry humping.

Dawn, however, seemed entirely unbothered. His dark and intense eyes were still fixed on me. He didn’t release his possessive grip on my ass cheeks.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. My hands that is trapped above his head, twitched.

"What is going on here?" Christopher was the first to speak. His voice was a strange mix of shock and a sneering curiosity, a look of pure disbelief plastered across his handsome, but often cruel, face.

Jasper, standing next to him, just shook his head, his eyes wide as they scanned the intimate scene before them.

"You tell me, Christopher," I mumbled under my breath.

Dawn chuckled He gave my ass a final, firm squeeze. "A simple question for a simple answer, little doe," he whispered, his eyes still on me, ignoring the growing crowd.

He then shifted his focus, his gaze finally lifting over my head to address his pack members. His voice, when he spoke, was smooth, dangerously level, and mixed with absolute authority.

"I believe I was clear," Alpha Dawn stated, his eyes sweeping over the group, making each one of them flinch. "This is a closed door meeting. It is none of your business."

"But, Alpha," Celeste began, "Luna Odessa informed us that..."

Dawn cut her off. "I said, get out."

The command was a low growl, stripped of any polite pretense, resonating with pure Alpha power. They scrambled back a step, their faces immediately morphing from shock to fear.

The silence returned like it never left.

Celeste, who had been hiding slightly behind Sierra, shifted her feet nervously but didn’t move to leave immediately. She just continued to stare, her large eyes wide with an expression that was hard to read, part shock, part a strange, sad understanding.

Dawn sighed, the sound resembling that of utter impatience. He waited a beat, then two.

Jasper went first. With a quick, uncomfortable cough, he turned on his heel. He didn’t look at me, but I could feel his eyes boring into my back as he walked to the door. "Come, Christopher," he muttered, tugging his arm.

Christopher hesitated, shooting me a final, spiteful look, before being pulled out.

Silas and Sierra quickly followed, both avoiding eye contact with the man on the desk. They slipped out silently, closing the heavy mahogany door with a quiet thud.

Celeste, however, remained. She stood there, frozen, her mouth slightly agape.

"Celeste," Dawn said, his voice now a low, dangerous warning, the one he reserved only for those who truly pushed his boundaries.

Celeste startled, a flash of fear crossing her face. She took a deep breath, offered a small, awkward bow to the Alpha, and finally, quickly, retreated from the room, closing the door behind her.

I didn’t wait for another second. The moment the door clicked shut, the rush of humiliation hit me instantly.

"Let me go!" I hissed, my body tensing, and I started to wriggle, trying to wrench myself out of the position, away from his lap, and out of the handcuff. "Unlock this! Right now!"

My movements were entirely counterproductive. With my hands chained around his neck, every jerk pulled my chest closer to his, making worse the friction between my lower body and his rigid erection. The motion made him groan again, another involuntary sound of pleasure.

"Stop, little doe," he commanded, his voice muffled. He was enjoying my struggle, the utter bastard. "Be still."

I stopped immediately, realizing my actions were only entertaining him. I held myself rigid, breathing hard.

He reached one hand down, his long fingers expertly finding the mechanism on the cuff behind his head. The metal clicked, and the chain went slack, the weight of the steel falling away from his neck.

The moment I was free, I practically launched myself backward, flying off his lap. I quickly scrambled to my feet, my skirt a mess around my hips. My right wrist was still shackled, the silver chain dangling.

I ripped the remaining cuff off my wrist. I didn’t even look at him; I just stalked to the desk, slammed the cuff down on the smooth mahogany surface, and spun on my heel.

"I am leaving," I stated, my voice shaking with finality.

I didn’t wait for a response. My feet were already carrying me toward the door. As I reached for the handle, I finally glanced back.

Dawn was still sitting in his chair, leaning back, completely relaxed. He had picked up his pen again, but he wasn’t writing. He was simply resting it on the paper, his head tilted slightly, staring at me with that infuriating, amusing smirk. He looked like a cat who had just watched its favorite mouse escape but knew the mouse would be back soon.

"I’ll see you later, baby," he drawled.

I didn’t answer. I just wrenched the door open and walked out, slamming it shut behind me.

The hallway was quiet, but as I turned to head down the corridor, I saw them. Christopher, Celeste, Jasper, Silas, and Sierra. They hadn’t left the area. They were clustered a few feet from the door, pretending to be in a hushed conversation, but their eyes were fixed on me.

Our eyes met.

I immediately lowered my gaze and started walking, my pace brisk and determined. I just needed to get away, to breathe air that wasn’t contaminated with Alpha Dawn’s scent and power.

"Bambi! Wait up!"

I heard a soft voice behind me and the quick pitter-patter of footsteps. I slowed slightly, and a moment later, Celeste fell into step beside me. She was smaller than I was, her expression still a little shocked, but determined.

We walked in silence for a few long, small strides, the sound of our shoes on the polished floor making small noise.

"I know," Celeste said suddenly, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper.

I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart leaped into my throat. "You know what?" I asked, forcing the words out.

Celeste stopped, too, turning to face me. She looked around to ensure no one was close enough to listen.

"I know you were with him the night of the rogue attack," she confessed, her eyes wide and earnest. "I saw you in the hallway. I saw him... being intimate with you. And later, I saw him go to Collins to retrieve the key to the guest room."

A dread washed over me.

So much for my secret, huh?

Celeste reached out and placed a gentle hand on my arm. "Bambi, I know you’re in love with him," she said softly, "But you need to be careful. Alpha Dawn is like a ticking time bomb. He strikes when you least expect it."

She paused, leaning in closer, her voice barely a breath. "He was a rogue, Bambi. Before he became an elite wolf, he was one of the worst. And former rogues like him never have good intentions. They are all vicious, and they are all only out for themselves."

A rush of genuine fear entered my heart. A rogue? Dawn, a rogue? I had never heard that part of his history.

Celeste squeezed my arm again. "We need to meet later this evening," she urged. "Somewhere private. I need to tell you the things Dawn did when he was still a rogue. The things he did to take this title. You need to know exactly the kind of wolf you’re dealing with."